A Voice in the Wilderness: A Pioneering Biologist Explains How Evolution Can Help Us Solve Our Biggest Problems

by Joseph L. Graves Jr.

Why understanding evolution—the most reviled branch of science—can help us all, from fighting pandemics to undoing racism  Evolutionary science has long been regarded as conservative, a tool for enforcing regressive ideas, particularly about race and gender. But in A Voice in the Wilderness , evolutionary biologist Joseph L. Graves Jr.—once styled as the “Black Darwin”—argues that his field is essential to social justice. He shows, for example, why biological races do not exist. He dismantles recent work in “human biodiversity” seeking genes to explain the achievements of different ethnic groups. He decimates homophobia, sexism, and classism as well.  As a pioneering Black biologist, a leftist, and a Christian, Graves uses his personal story—his journey from a child of Jim Crow to a major researcher and leader of his peers—to rewrite his field. A Voice in the Wilderness is a powerful work of scientific anti-racism and a moving account of a trailblazing life.   

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Stem, Biology, Race, Nature

384 pages, Hardcover

Published September 13, 2022

Reviews

[Hannah]

Having grown up with the Bible, and even though I now consider myself an atheist, I have to admit that I was taken aback just a little to see someone compare himself with John the Baptist - not just in the reference made by the title but within the first few pages too. It felt like a big swing. However, I kept reading the book nonetheless. I wasn't exactly offended by it, though I could imagine devout Christians might be. He had my curiosity.

Seeing how Graves has recovered from years of imposter syndrome, overcoming the negative voices in his head and all around him to become the first African American to receive a PhD in evolutionary biology, I was ultimately pleased that he took that swing, so to speak. He deserves that confidence. Took him a long time to get there!

I also have to admit that a lot of this book was dry - the academic portions, anyway. I'm not sure I'd want to sit in on any of his classes - at least not for a grade! But I was still able to learn a lot. I loved something he said a few times - that figures never lie, but often a figure lies. That's so true!

The parts I loved most: his using the Bible to debunk the current evangelical righteousness on homophobia, sexism, racism, and evolution. It was especially beautiful to bear witness as a reader, since he could also back it all up scientifically.. There's nothing I love more than using the Bible against the very people who justify everything they do by pointing to one, out-of-context verse that is either anachronistic or nonsensical.

I could see myself following this brilliant man's leadership if I lived in his area the next time he took up activism. That's not something you stop doing. I hope he's out there now. I think he could effect so much inspiration to those around him. It's a fairly recently published book, but it was done before MAGA's second term. I am not sure if he saw a second term coming. I'm guessing that like most of us who refused to vote for him, he was more disappointed and angry than surprised. Please, Dr. Graves, please lead the charge!

[Steve]

I loved the biographical information in the book. The stories Professor Graves tells about his life are compelling and when he discusses his life, the book is difficult to put down. There is much more about his career that I would be very happy to read about. But, when he discusses his work, I felt that the book turned from being a conversation to being a sermon or lecture. The play-by-play description of a debate he took part in was much too long. The science gets needlessly complicated and the pacing slows to a crawl. I also found some of the statements Professor Graves makes too self-congratulatory, even though they’re true. There were times I wanted to give up on the book, but I felt that the book tells too important a story for me to stop reading. Unfortunately that story suffers from a lack of compelling story-telling. Thank you to Netgalley and Basic Books for the advance reader copy.

[Joon Ae]

An important book, with important ideas, by an important person! A Voice in the Wilderness expertly weaves Graves' own personal life story with his work in evolutionary science with some of the most critical conversations of this period in history. He illuminates how inseparable scientific insights are to the way we understand and structure social institutions. What I appreciate about this book, as I do all his other books, is that the driving heart of this project is the use of research -- evidence, history, reason, and rationale -- in the fight for social justice and for a better world for all people. It is an honor to learn from this author and scholar. Highly recommended!!!!

[Dillon Crockett]

Dr. Graves is a total nerd, and I mean that in the best possible way. After hearing Dr. Graves speak at a North Carolina Science Leadership Association meeting several years ago, I was inspired to purchase this book, only now finding the time to pick it up, and it was excellent. I should have explored it much sooner. Dr. Graves proves to be many things through this text: an astute social and civic leader, an interdisciplinary scholar and intellectual, and a professional debunker of erroneous and often dangerous popular beliefs. Dr. Graves was able to reframe beliefs about the manufactured opposition between science and religion, deconstruct the lack of genetic and evolutionary grounding to widespread beliefs about race, intelligence, and gender and sexuality, and climactically apply an understanding of evolutionary science to trends in global economic and political systems from antiquity to the present. He was able to do all of these things while also providing the story of his own life, with relatable retellings of his childhood, adolescence, and career. I personally admire his willingness to describe challenges he faced throughout his life, from the biases of former teachers to the racism of certain institutions, from moments of mediocre academic results to the challenges of reforming educational systems in the face of entrenched traditions. It was equally compelling to read about his successes, from his accomplishments in science as a student and early career professor to his ability to retrain and switch subfields midcareer while still maintaining his standing as a successful leader in higher education and in evolutionary biology. When he is describing the various aspects of evolutionary biology which have interested him, I often would have flashbacks to learning about several of those topics in college, like host-parasite coevolution, kin selection, altruism, etc., but I still learned plenty from his examples and explanations on a wide variety of subjects, from the aging of fruit flies to how bacteria can develop resistance to silver antimicrobial surfaces. I also fully appreciated the numerous references to Jurassic Park scattered throughout the text. This was a fulfilling, entertaining, engaging, and highly informative read!

[Kelly]

I have a Bachelor of Science in Biology. I am not a professional scientist, but have worked in science related fields all my life. I was expecting this book to me more relatable to people without a science background, but the amount of genetics and scientific jargon used, may make this inaccessible. I found myself skipping over a lot of the genetics stuff when Dr. Graves started getting into the weeds of it all, but still definitely understood and appreciated his conclusions and arguments. I do realize that he does need to publish the science to support his conclusions, but if this is a book meant for the masses, I think he might need some help translating.

I did find a lot of value in this book because Dr. Graves and I share the same conclusions, and it helped me to formulate how I might discuss the subjects with people who hold different beliefs. That was the value of this book to me.

[Christina]

This book is amazing. It provides so much of what I was looking for that the many other books on racism that I’ve read recently lack. Primarily, I mean sound scientific evidence that refutes the concept of race and how science has been misused to support racist agendas. I was amazed that Prof Graves tackled other giant social issues like gender as well. As an evolutionary biologist, who teaches evolution to a wide variety of students, this book provides a tremendous resource that breaks down why race is not real. Graves also explains how we can use evolutionary concepts to understand these social issues and consider action to address them. I’m so thrilled that I got the chance to meet Prof Graves (virtually) just today at USF. Inspiring!

[wade]

Although Graves insists he is writing for the masses, so to speak, he is an evolutionary biologist and I did probably understand about eighty percent of the book, I became lost in the technical stuff. (I have two master's degrees so I am not a chump). That said, the book would more appeal to someone with a science background. I did find his contentions about the state of the world and solutions to many of our problems valuable and enlightening.

[Timothy]

Joe Graves without hesitation, agreed to write three chapters for a book I was editing, The Routledge History of American Science. His topics were Structural Racism and American Science, Genetics and American Science, and Science, Empire, and American Science. He wrote with mastery and insight, and I was eager to read this autobiographical account and I was not disappointed!! A must read!

[Wayne M Hill]

What could have been a fascinating look into a long career, instead fell flat.
The biographical parts of this book were highly interesting. My eyes began rolling for the tedious discussions of fruit fly genetics and algebraic equations. Professor Graves deserved an editor would realize these facts.

[Kelly J]

This book gets very technical. You must be science literate, or be prepared to just skip around. There is an important message, but it’s buried very deep.